Lebanon County Memorial Day events

The Pine Grove ROTC Color Guard presents colors during the Memorial Day Service at Fort Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in 2011. LEBANON DAILY NEWS FILE PHOTO

Memorial Day events

Memorial Day is May 28 and several events will take place around the Lebanon Valley and beyond.

Annville parade

Annville's 22nd annual parade will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 26.

The parade, billed as the largest Memorial Day parade in Pennsylvania, will honor all veterans with special recognition this year of the Lebanon VA Medical Center.

The parade will begin forming at 8 a.m. in the parking lot of the Annville Antique Station and will step off at 9. A flyover by two AT-6 Texan World War II training planes will kick off the parade.

The parade will travel west on Route 422 (Main Street), north on College Avenue, then east on Maple Street. The parade will disband after passing a reviewing stand at Maple and Long streets.

Immediately after the parade, there will be a memorial service at the reviewing stand. National Guard chaplain Col. Doug Etter will be the guest speaker.

Among those scheduled to be in the parade are Gov. Tom Corbett and the Ballou High School marching Knights from Washington D.C. The band, which will participate in the parade for th eighth year in a row, will also perform at the ball fields at theh north end of Long Street after the memorial service.

Annville Township police have listed road detours and parking restrictions for the parade.

Traffic will be detoured at North Mill Street and Route 422, and Routes 934 and 422, from 7:30 a.m. to noon. Parade parking will be available on North Weber Street.

No parking will be allowed on the posted parade route. Any vehicles parked on the parade route between 7:30 a.m. and noon will be towed at the owner's expense.

Prohibited parking areas are: First Avenue from Route 422 to East Queen Street; Route 422 from Weber Street to North College Avenue; North College Avenue from Route 422 to East Maple Street; and East Maple Street from North College Avenue to North Weber Street.

Lebanon parade

The Lebanon Memorial Day parade begins at 9:30 a.m. at Eighth and Cumberland streets; east on Cumberland Street to 4th Street; north on 4th Street to Lehman Street; west on Lehman St. to Eighth Street.

A ceremony will be held in Monument Park immediately following the parade.

For more information, please contact Bill Meiser at 274-9110 or email lebanonmdparade@comcast.net.

Fort Indiantown Gap National Cemetery ceremony

The Memorial Day ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 27 at the Pennsylvania Veterans Memorial at the national cemetery.

The event will be held rain or shine.

Larry N. Reece, the state VFW commander, will be the guest speaker.

The 28th Infantry Division brass quintet will provide music, and Robert Goodman of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 542, will play taps.

There will be an artillery salute by the Pennsylvania National Guard's 109th Field Artillery Regiment.

The program is co-sponsored by the Indiantown Gap National Cemetery Memorial Council and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Pennsylvania.

The cemetery is located 25 miles northeast of the Harrisburg International Airport. From the airport, travel Interstate 283 North to Interstate 83 North to Interstate 81 North and take exit 85B. Bear right off the exit and the cemetery entrance is a quarter mile on the right.

Palmyra parade

The Palmyra Memorial Day parade and services begins at 9 a.m. May 28.

The parade will form at 7:30 a.m. at Railroad and Mark streets.

The parade route will begin east on Cherry Street to Green Street; north on green Street to Main Street; west on Main Street to Locust Street; then south on Locust Street to the Palmyra Area Middle School.

The International Guard of Midatlantic Band will participate in the parade and perform at the services this year.

Services will be held in the Palmyra Area Middle School auditorium starting at 10 a.m.

State Sen. Mike Folmer is the guest speaker.
Jacob Boyer will offer a prayer and read a poem in honor of veterans.

Hours before the parade and services, Palmyra Area High School buglers will play taps, starting at 6 a.m., at Gravel Hill and Palmyra cemeteries.

Jonestown parade

The Jonestown Memorial Day Parade and cemetery service will begin at 8:30 a.m. May 28 at the Swatara Bridge in west Jonestown and will begin moving at 9 a.m.

The cemetery service will follow at 9:45 a.m. at Zion's Lutheran Cemetery.
In case of inclement weather the service will be held inside at Zion's Lutheran Church at 9 a.m.

Listen to WLBR radio for updates in case of inclement weather.

Contact Oriana Spittle at 717-926-7440 for more information.

Hershey big band to pay tribute to songs of WWII at Lebanon Valley College

The Hershey Symphony Orchestra Big Band will kick off Memorial Day weekend with a special tribute to the songs of World War II.

The 20-piece Hershey Big Band will take the audience on a musical journey from 1939 to 1945 in the "Salute to the Greatest Generation" concert on May 24, 2012 at 8 p.m. in Miller Chapel of Lebanon Valley College.

The audience will be treated to musical selections including "I'll be Seeing You," "In the Mood," "Moonlight Serenade," and "Pennsylvania 6-5000."

Guests will also experience the drama, sacrifice, and excitement of a time of great change in America and a world at war through periodic "news reports" delivered in the style of an old radio broadcast.

All tickets are $15 and are available at the door. To order in advance call 717-533-8449 or email management@hersheysymphony.org.

Beyond the county

Hershey parade

The Hershey Memorial Day parade begins at 8 a.m. at the Hershey
Recreation Center, 605 Cocoa Ave., parking lot and will end with a ceremony at the War Memorial at the
recreation center.
The event is sponsored by the Derry Township Department of Parks and Recreation and the Friends of
the Derry Township Parks and Recreation.

For more information call 717-533-7138.

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Hummelstown parade and services

Hummelstown will observe Memorial Day with brief services at 8:30 a.m. at Zion Lutheran Cemetery; 8:45 a.m. services at Stoverdale Church Cemetery; and 9 a.m. services at St. Paul's Lutheran Church cemetery.

The parade begins at 10 a.m. and will conclude with services in the Hummelstown Cemetery.

The Memorial Day speaker is Robert B. "Gump" May of Hummelstown. May spent 33 years as head football coach at Hershey High School.

He entered the U.S. Marine Corps in 1968 as a 2nd Lieutenant and went to Vietnam where he served first as platoon commander in teh 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, and later as a 1st Lieutenant platoon commander in the 1st Recon Battalion.

He was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat V while running 17 long range patrols.